Michigan Farmer Pleads in Cruelty Case Involving Donkeys

A Michigan farmer located in the Upper Peninsula has pleaded no contest in an animal cruelty case involving donkeys provided by state officials to protect his cattle from wolves.

WLUC-TV reports John Koski made the plea Thursday.

Officials say that donkeys put in Koski's care by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to combat wolf conflicts at his Ontonagon-area farm were neglected, causing the deaths of two of the animals.

According to WBUP/WBKP-TV, Koski was ordered to pay $1,800 in fines and costs.

A no-contest plea in Michigan is not an admission of guilt but is treated as one for sentencing purposes.